This is a restaurant-style base for takeout curries.
Mechanic
This is a BIR (British Indian Restaurant) base gravy: a neutral, lightly spiced vegetable purée that acts as the liquid foundation for takeaway-style curries. Most BIR curries start by blooming aromatics and spices in oil, then adding this gravy to build the sauce. The gravy itself is deliberately mild; the individual dish recipes add heat and character on top.
Ingredients
Gravy
- 250 ml neutral oil (or oil reserved from frying Onion bhaji)
- 2 tablespoons Ginger/garlic paste
- 1 tin (400 g) plum tomatoes
- 3 medium yellow onions, quartered
- 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, roughly chopped
- ½ large carrot, roughly chopped
- 250–750 ml water, plus more to adjust consistency
- 250 ml cream (or coconut cream)
- 250 ml garam masala water (see Notes)
- ¼ cup spiced tomato purée (or tomato paste)
Spices
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder or masala
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika or ground Indian chili
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the ginger/garlic paste and bloom until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the powdered spices and bloom another minute. Stir in the tomato purée and cook another minute.
Add the water and all the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on medium-low until everything is very soft, about 45 minutes. Alternatively, pressure cook on low for 30 minutes.
Add the garam masala water. Blend smooth with an immersion blender.
Temper the cream by whisking in a few ladles of hot gravy, then stir it back into the pot. Add water until the gravy coats the back of a spoon: not thick, not watery.
To serve
Use as the liquid base in Butter chicken and other BIR-style curries.
Notes
- Garam masala water: steep a tablespoon of whole garam masala spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper) in 250 ml of just-boiled water for 10 minutes, then strain.
- Add cream after the tomato acidity has mellowed (toward the end of cooking) to prevent curdling.
- Use coconut cream for a vegan, dairy-free gravy.
- Keeps refrigerated 5 days. Freezes well in 500 ml portions.